A White Dress for Marialé

I've rarely been as disappointed as I was after watching this "A White Dress for Marialé". I spent years looking for a decent copy of this film, and all this time remained under the assumption that it was one of the last great gialli that I hadn't seen yet. Alas, after the derivative but nevertheless atmospheric and promising opening sequences, the film turns into a bizarre smorgasbord of trash, sleaze and murder, but ... not the good kind! Six people are invited into the remote gothic castle of a married couple, much against the will of the husband and the eerie house servant. The oppressed wife - Marialé - takes them to the cellars where she has an odd collection of mannequin dolls with medieval costumes, and shortly after, the whole group indulges into an extended and dreadfully boring orgy without sex but with crazy role-plays instead. These masquerade sequences are overlong, implausible and utterly senseless. Only in the last half hour, the guests are being murdered one by one and shortly after another, but the outcome (as in: the identity of the culprit) is so incredibly obvious that you wonder what the point of the whole masquerade was. The murders are unimaginative and as good as bloodless, with the notable exception of one person being bludgeoned to death in a pool. To finish off with at least a few positive words, the soundtrack is sublime, the women are beautiful, and there are some good performances by respectable Italian genre veterans (Ivan Rassimov, Luigi Pastili, ...)

On the one hand, we're treated to several giallo regulars - Ivan Rassimov, Evelyn Stewart, and Luigi Pistilli. Ivan Rassimov comes across the best here because he is given the most to do. Truth be told, everyone tries to do the best they can - the thing is the script doesn't give them much to do.

There's also a slow pace. The first murder doesn't occur until an hour into the film. The violence and special effects are done quite well.

I think this film really falls flat because of the direction. The performances are uneven. It doesn't look like anyone was in charge of the project. There are multiple continuity errors. Sometimes the camera is intentionally out of focus for effect, but there were a few times it was unintentionally out of focus for no good reason. Some of his style is interesting, but it does not always serve the story.

The ending has been done 100 times before, and you can see it coming well in advance.

"Un Bianco Vestito Per Marialé," directed by Romano Scavolini, is a haunting, erotic, and violent thriller that leaves a lasting impression, albeit with some noticeable flaws.

The film follows the beautiful Marialé, who is kept sequestered in a gloomy castle by her controlling husband, Paolo. Marialé, traumatized by witnessing her father kill her mother as a child, is forced to take powerful psychoactive drugs by her husband and his servant, Osvaldo. The story takes a turn when Marialé invites friends over for a hedonistic party, only for them to be murdered one by one.

Scavolini crafts a stylish and atmospheric film, with a standout performance by Ida Galli as Marialé. The film excels in its ability to create a sense of unease and tension, particularly through its use of music and lighting. The castle setting, with its partial ruins and surrounding park, adds to the sense of isolation and impending doom.

However, the film stumbles in its execution of the thriller formula. With a runtime of just 84 minutes, the character development is lacking, and the dialogue feels stilted and pretentious at times. The killer's identity is also predictable, taking away from the suspense. While the orgiastic party scene is memorable, it also feels out of place, as if included purely for shock value.

Overall, "Un Bianco Vestito Per Marialé" is a flawed yet intriguing entry in the giallo genre. It delivers on style and tension but falls short in its character and narrative development. While it may not be the best of its kind, it is worth a watch for fans of erotic thrillers and those seeking a glimpse into 1970s Italian horror.

In the '40 Mariale is an eight year old girl.Powerless,she witnesses the death of her mother and of her young lover,both killed in cold blood by her father.Years have passed and Mariale has married a young nobleman who keeps her almost captive in an old estate forbidding her to take part in society's life.A sort of love-and-hate relationship has developed between the two characters.One day Mariale decides to put an end to her seclusion;she eludes her husband's and the butler watchful vigilance,breaks the phone's padlock and sends several telegrams inviting friends for a evening at her home.As absurd as it may seems,Mariale intends to reconstruct,thanks to her guests,the tragedy she lived several years before.She wants to prove that in everyone of us exist two distinct entities.When Paolo,Mariale's husband fully understands the situation is too late.The evening turns into bloody nightmare,when unknown killer starts murdering people.Romano Scavolini's "Spirits of Death" is a stylish giallo with some gory murders.The photography is beautiful and the atmosphere is creepy and nightmarish.The identity of the killer is never explained and that makes the film quite disturbing.The cast is splendid with Ivan Rassimov and Luigi Pistilli to boost.Check it out.7 out of 10.

The enigmatic wife of a moody Marquis invites a motley group of people to their sinister stronghold where a long ago crime is re-lived...

Here's a strange and unsettling giallo that borrows much from the maestro of the macabre, Mario Bava. The film is set entirely on an eerie, isolated estate and, like 5 DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON and BAY OF BLOOD, has an ambiguous plot centering around murder and mayhem which provides director/cinematographer Romano Scavolini with ample opportunity for a number of unusual set-pieces. A pre-credit sequence has a young girl watch as her father finds her mother with a lover (a nude Gianni Dei) and shoots them both before turning the gun on himself. The story shifts to the present with Mariele (the beautiful Evelyn Stewart) inviting a hedonistic, unpleasant assortment of friends (which include Ivan Rassimov and Pilar Velazquez) to her husband's (Luigi Pistilli) crumbling castle for some fun and games ...but she seems to have an ulterior motive. Is she being held prisoner by her husband and his manservant or is she locked up for her own good? For the festivities, Mariele dons the white dress her mother was murdered in and there's some brief nudity, lesbianism, whipping, and bitch-slapping at a Felliniesque feast before the party guests get dispatched in rapid succession. These seemingly senseless killings are brief but brutal and the identity of the killer ultimately depends on which version of events the viewer chooses to believe. It's an unusual and disturbing twist but only part of a "take no prisoners" nihilistic ending which has fate coming full circle. The striking use of color, a somber score by Fiorenzo Carpi & Bruno Nicolai, and a capable genre cast all help to create a decadent atmosphere that gives the movie a near-surreal aura. For example, at one point the cast grabs candelabra and goes down to explore the castle's catacombs (just because they're there) when a veritable windstorm kicks up out of nowhere and goes on for quite a while. This does absolutely nothing to advance the plot but it does make for an eerie tableau. In many ways, the whole film is like that.

This classic "style over substance" thriller from the Golden Age Of The Giallo comes letter-boxed, in Italian with English subtitles, and highly recommended for aficionados of the genre.